Can I use TiVo w/ manual programming only?

Forgive my ignorance -- and my scattered thinking (and the fact that I am cheap to a certain extent). I have an 80 hour TiVo (plus an HDTV PVR builtinto my cable box.) With my new HDTV set, I find I really want to record conventional as much as possible at Best Quality.

I was considering a perhaps bying a DVD recorder "combo" with Hard Drive from Panasonic, Pioneer, or Toshiba to get another hard drive to store recordings and perhaps occassionally burn a DVD (I might still wind up doing this)

But I saw that the 140 hour TiVo has a $150 rebate... it seems I could buy that for about $150 after rebate (I think you need to use the TiVo subscription service for one month... is that right?) and being cheap I would just manually program recordings.

Is it possible to set all programming manually as long as I supply the cable box signal to it?

.... and maybe this is a silly way to go. For more money I could get more flexibility by getting a DVD burner HD combos - and I know only a few have some basic TiVo programmers, others use other means to program. Is there a good FAQ or intro I article can read about these Panasonic, Toshiba, Pioneer, Humax machines?

And another last minute change of thinking - since I don't keep up with this topic and all the CES press releases, what is available in stand alone HD recording TiVos and other HD PVRs and how stratospheric are their prices?

= Hi =
But I saw that the 140 hour TiVo has a $150 rebate... it seems I could buy that for about $150 after rebate (I think you need to use the TiVo subscription service for one month... is that right?) and being cheap I would just manually program recordings.

Andrew

Click to expand...

Additionally the rebate is keyed to a 1 year subscription commitment. To get rebate you have to get past the 30 day cancellation window. Early termination of the one year subscription permits a charge of, interestingly enough, $150.

Some Toshiba units have TiVo Basic, e.g., the SD-H400, without the DVD... you get basic intelligent VCR type recording functions without paying a monthly fee.

I've had the basic option before but it doesn't give you the TiVo magic... one really needs the Seasons Passes to get full enjoyment and use out of the TiVo ... especially now that the networks show repeats so often and switch times so often. Both wreak havoc with any manual recording.

We finally sold off our series 2 "old" TiVos and upgraded to ones with the DVD burners... they work well... though we've accumulated a stack of DVDs which really isn't anywhere near as convenient as watching from the TiVo itself--- we're back to the old stack of VCR tapes type situation which is a nuisance really.

I'd recommend getting a TiVo with as large a hard drive as possible... either by buying a low-end one with a 40 hour drive and then having it upgraded (or DIY) to say 300 hours+... or by buying a Toshiba RS-TX60--it comes with a 160 gb HD which gives you up to 200+ hours at BASIC.